Nawabi Pulao (the Royal Pilaf)

Total Time: 6 hrs Preparation Time: 4 hrs Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 16
• 1 kg mutton
• 1 kg chicken
• 2 cups plain low-fat yogurt, beaten
• 6 tablespoons green masala (ginger, garlic and green chilli paste)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 7 onions, finely chopped
• 4 cups basmati rice
• 1/2 cup frozen green pea
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
• salt
• oil or ghee

Recipe

• 1 marinate the mutton and chicken for 2-3 hours with 2 tbsp.
• 2 of the green masala and a little yogurt.
• 3 take a little oil/ghee in a dish.
• 4 now add the whole garam masala.
• 5 add onions.
• 6 stir fry till they are pinkish-brown.
• 7 add turmeric powder followed by the remaining green masala and fry for 2 minutes.
• 8 add mutton and cook till the mutton is half cooked.
• 9 add a little water if necessary as the gravy has to be dry.
• 10 add chicken and the leftover yogurt.
• 11 cook till the mutton and chicken are tender.
• 12 add the corriander-cumin and garam masala powders.
• 13 add finely chopped corriander leaves and mix well.
• 14 keep aside.
• 15 now prepare the rice.
• 16 cook the rice separately till it is almost done.
• 17 season with whole garam masala and greenpeas fried in ghee.
• 18 mix it well with the rice.
• 19 now comes the part i love.
• 20 put a layer of rice on the gravy in the dish in which the gravy was prepared.
• 21 close the lid.
• 22 keep the container on dum/steam as we do for biryani (in the traditional way) till the rice is completely cooked.
• 23 this takes about 15 minutes.
• 24 serve hot with cucumber-tomato raita/your favourite raita.
• 25 enjoy!